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It's folly to hope the Raptors become something they can't

This is a point that came up quite quickly as we stood around Raptors practice, it’s one that’s been basically obvious but not often spoken in the last little while:

Despite everyone’s wishes and all the incessant chatter about how vital it may be, this team is never going to be a great defensive team, it might not even be a good one, perhaps passable is the best fans can hope for over the final week of the regular season and however long the playoffs last.

There, doesn’t it feel good to see it out there in plain sight?

Why won’t they?

Bunch of reasons and here’s a couple: Guard and wings can’t keep enough guys in front of them because they aren’t quick enough, the bigs don’t defend pick and roll particularly well and there’s no defensive “stopper” coming off the bench or among the starters who can settle everything down.

As Dwane said at practice yesterday, and as he’s been saying for a while, is what they have to hope for is incremental improvement in overall team defence, the help-and-recover that’s necessary, the communication that’s vital.

Trust me: Kyle Lowry and Greivis Vasquez aren’t getting any quicker in the next two weeks; Terrence Ross isn’t going to all of a sudden lock in mentally; DeMar DeRozan isn’t going to be able to defend wings successfully all the time; James Johnson isn’t going to become discipline. You could go down the entire list and many have to enumerate the flaws.

So what?

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So maybe they can string together eight or 10 or 12 games of good team defence, as they have in rare instances this season, but it’s going to have to be a collective effort rather than some shocking individual turnaround.

Look, this is and has been all season basically an offensive team and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that at the moment.

And, yes, you can score your way early-round playoff success, especially if you have the variety of weapons that this team does at that end of the floor. And who knows, you might be able to stick around deep into a second round series that way.

When it’s all over is when Masai and Dwane go to work, identifying the kind of player they might want to add in the summer and jettisoning the ones they don’t want.

But that’s July.

This is April and I’d suggest instead of the constant angst of what this team isn’t and never was going to be, fans might want to embrace what it is.

A relatively fun offensive group that wins way more than it loses and generally provides solid entertainment for the paying public.

Contrary to what I fear too many people thought off that blistering start, this group was never going to play or even seriously contend for a championship this year, anyone who thought that even at 24-7 was delusional.

Hell, 15 months ago, this same group was – to some – headed into the tank in pursuit of a high draft pick and today it’s supposed to contend? It doesn’t work that way.

I’d suggest, again, that everyone enjoy this ride, appreciate what the group is and not pine for what it isn’t and never will be.

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Hmmmm. B.B. King’s in the hospital and that sucks. This doesn’t, though.

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I know we’re all caught up in Andrew Wiggins being in the race for the NBA’s rookie of the year (this voter thinks it’s pretty much a dead heat right now between him and Nikola Mirotic and I can’t decide either way) and Trey Lyles being in the Final Four and all the Canadian NBAers and the promise of the national men’s program and that’s all well and good and the attention is more than deserved.

But please, in the name of all that’s good in the world, do not sleep on the Canadian women. Please.

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In the last week, Kia Nurse has the dominant UConn women in yet another Final Four title game, Nirra Fields led UCLA to the WNIT championship and Lisanne Murphy was the MVP of the French League, one of the top women’s leagues on earth.

That’s not bad and, trust me on this, you’re going to come to appreciate just how good this group is over the next 16 months or so. Get used to it now.

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162-0.

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In the United States at least – and yesterday in Great Britain – where it’s National Beer Day!

Now, there may be those who think every day is, or at least one or two a week, but it’s nice to see some sort of official recognition and I hope Canada comes through someday soon.

What I’ve found amazing over the three-plus decades that I’ve been allowed to follow the industry – and it’s really just the last 10 or 15 yeas, I guess -- is the proliferation of choice and micro-brews that have allowed us to expand our taste.

I still say the Beer Store is a despicable monopoly and that we should be able to purchase beer in any number of places but that’s another point for another day.

Today, let’s talk choice and have an informal poll.

I lean heavily to lagers and pilsners and cannot really handle the texture or taste of the heavy, dark beers that are all over the place.

Wheat beers are for hot summer days, I don’t like the fruity ones or the chocolate ones or the goofy ones.

So what have you got for me to try? The fridge here has Stella, Kronenbourg and Starapromen in it; what should I add?

And what’s at the top of your list?

Let’s celebrate the day, shall we?

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Okay, the plan is to truly get back in the swing of things with a little question and answer session Thursday at noon but that doesn’t preclude the away-from-the-game mailbag questions we like so much so if you want to stop by askdoug@thestar.ca and say hello, it’d be appreciated.

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